I Don't Think I Like You
by DomBird
Summary: Dean's less than thrilled when John brings home Adam, claiming the boy's his son. But when the kid starts threatening Sam's safety, even if it's unintentional, Dean knows that he has to do something. He has to protect his real brother. So either Adam's gonna man up, or there's going to be a serious problem. No matter what, Dean knew this wasn't going to be good.
1. Chapter 1

**New story! This idea was from T.V programs rule, whose account you should totally check out. I hope everyone likes it, and feedback is much appreciated, even if it's negative. I promise the other chapters won't be so short, but I just wanted to get a feel for everything. Enjoy!**

Sam could tell Dean wasn't too happy with the new addition to the family. A few days ago, John had brought Adam to the hotel room where Sam and Dean were, staying long enough to tell them that Adam was their half-brother before taking off to finish killing the ghoul he was after.

Adam was ten, and Sam was all for the idea of having a younger brother. He wanted to be someone's everything, like Dean was Sam's. He wanted to show their father that he could do this simple task, he could take care of Adam, who was new to this whole paranormal world. Sam would do what Dean had done for him, and he would never disappoint his father again.

Dean, however, seemed to have a different idea. He never liked new people, often trying to avoid working with other hunters if John ever sent him solo on a case. Dean _really _didn't like people near Sammy, and this Adam kid latched onto his little brother, since they were only two years apart, and Dean was sixteen. He didn't want Sam to be as close to anybody else as he was to Dean, and he could see his little brother latching right back onto Adam. Sammy was his, and all he could see was Adam trying to take him away.

It was July, so they didn't have to worry about school, which all three of them were grateful for. However, it meant that Adam and Sam were together more than if it was September, while Dean usually had some kind of hunter job to do, whether it was doing the actual hunting or research, with Sam helping every once in a while. Adam mostly just sat there and watched the _real_ brothers. He was a little young to be of any use, and wasn't raised into it like Sam and Dean were. When Dean pointed this out to John, he instantly regretted his words when John assigned Sam Adam duty.

"Awesome." Dean mumbled a week later as he watched Sam handle one of the lore books, pointing at a passage about vengeful spirits. Adam watched, fascinated as Sam explained the different ways to get rid of them. Dean angrily got up from his spot on the bed and went over to the fridge, grabbing two sodas, tossing one to Sam, who caught it with ease. He was so focused on teaching that he didn't notice Adam's frown and lack of a drink. Dean smiled to himself, pride welling up for his little brother.

Not Adam's.


	2. Chapter 2

**Mutilated Pancake:**

**Sarah: Thanks! And boy, does Dean get jealous and protective. It's kinda a problem :)**

**T.V programs rule: I'm so glad you liked it! I was a tad nervous posting it, but I loved the feedback. Hope you like the chapter.**

_**Note: This story will be updated every Tuesday, though I'm not sure how long I want it to be. Thoughts?**_

Dean looked over at Adam, rage curling in his stomach as the youngest boy smiled in delight and stepping forward to hug Sam, who, although he looked surprised, hesitantly returned it while keeping Dean in his vision. Sam knew that Dean was not a fan of Adam, but wasn't sure why, so he tended to watch his older brother in fear of what he may do to his younger brother. John told Sam it was his job to take care of Adam and to train him to be a hunter like Dean did for Sam.

John and Dean were prepping for a simple salt and burn a couple streets away, and Dean didn't want to leave his brother with Adam, but he had no choice. No way in hell was Dean saying something to John, so they waved goodbye and climbed into the Impala.

"You have any idea why Adam's so jumpy around you, Dean?" John asked, looking over at his eldest, who shook his head and frowned.

"No. He really seems to like Sam, though."

"Yeah? I'm glad. I kinda just threw everything at the poor kid, glad Sam's finally being responsible for once."

"What do you mean by that?"

"You know how that kid can be." John snorted.

"No actually, I don't." Dean's voice was taking a low and dangerous tone, and John noticed it, glaring at his eldest.

"He's too stubborn for his own good, and if Adam's helping him with that, then great. Saves me from having to teach the boy a lesson myself."

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

John smacked Dean on the back of his head. Not hard, but enough that Dean knew he needed to stop talking.

The salt and burn was over before they knew it, and without any complications, so they rushed back to Sam and Adam.

"What did you two do while I was gone, Sam?" John asked.

"I went over wendigos and werewolves with him, sir." Sam said, his expression neutral as he stared at his father, who then turned to Adam and began quizzes him. Adam almost passed with flying colors, except when he was asked how to kill a wendigo. When he said silver bullets, John rounded on Sam and slapped him across the face. Dean lunged towards his brother, his anger boiling towards Adam. Why was that little kid such a fuck up? He just got Sammy hit, and besides a small amount of shock, said nothing except the correct answer to the question.

The next day, Sam got a bigger serving of dinner than Adam did, and John was too busy to notice or care. The one after that, they were on the road again.

Dean never got the chance to talk to his brother about that night, but he could always tell when Sammy was upset. John didn't hit Sam often; Dean made sure of that, but so far, Adam was fucking everything up. Sam didn't need that kind of responsibility. His job was to be the cute little bookworm that was a miracle when they were doing research.

Dean didn't want that little Sammy to be snuffed out.


	3. Chapter 3

**Better late than never. Short chapter as seems to be common with this story.**

**Mutilated Pancake: I wrote a reply to your last comment, but it disappeared, so *waves back* **

**...**

Dean was outraged.

"He's twelve! Why the hell are you taking him out on a hunt?" Dean hissed at his father, only breaking eye contact when John hit him on the back of the head.

"You came with me when you were Adam's age. The two of you are too dependent on Sam, and you're especially smothering the boy."

Dean bit back a growl and nodded. A week. Sam would be alone with John for a week. Their father hadn't been happy with his second son ever since Adam messed up that first time, and Dean dreaded the week. John and Sam always had a difficult time getting along, and whenever they were alone without Dean as a buffer for a long period of time, Sam was always sullen and depressed when Dean saw him again. Add that with Dean spending a week with Adam, and that put the whole group in a foul mood.

The next day, John left with Sam, and Adam was staring at Dean with wide eyes. Dean sighed as he plopped some leftover food on the kids plate before turning to make himself something, using the excuse that Adam was more like Sam in the rabbit food area, so he got the veggies that Sam had convinced John to buy while Dean made himself a burger. Adam pouted but didn't say anything, and the two of them ate in silence, the sounds of their chewing too quiet to hear.

John glared at his son as Sam fumbled to get the salt packed into the gun, eventually ripping the weapon away and filling it himself before thrusting it back to his son, who almost toppled over from the force used. It was a simple salt and burn, so he shouldn't even need the gun.

Sam gripped the gun as he stared at his father, frantic eyes searching for any signs of the spirit. It didn't appear as John threw the match down, and he had just turned around to bark another order when he suddenly flew up into a tree. Sam let out a small scream as he whipped his head around, trying to locate the spirit. He didn't see anything however, and soon he was thrown into the base of the very tree his father was tangled up in above. Sam let out a moan as a pain radiated from his lower back, and it was obvious that there'd be heavy bruising there later. John freed himself from the branches, hauling his son up and running away from the cemetery as he cursed. The ghost was tied to something else, and it'd be foolish to stay there without knowing what.

"Dean?" Adam asked, his voice small. He knew Dean didn't like him as much as Sam did, and the second oldest Winchester frightened him.

Dean sighed but turned to look at Adam. "Why aren't you sleeping?" he growled.

"I can't. I'm worried about Sam."

Dean's blood boiled. "It's not your place to worry about my brother. It's mine."

"B-but he's my brother too."

Dean shrugged. "Not really. Now go back to bed. Sam and dad should be here soon, and do you really want John to see you out of bed and disobeying an order?"

Adam shook his head wildly and went back to the room he was sleeping in. Dean frowned as he watched him, concern spiking for Sammy.

He had a feeling that Adam wouldn't lead them to good things.

**...**

**I am accepting any prompts for this story, so PM me if there's something you want to see happen. I only have a vague idea and an ending in mind, so I'm open for suggestions.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Wow, this is late. Sorry! But it is what it is, and I would've gotten a chapter up if I had the time. All of my stories are updating today, and ****_We Can Be Freaks Together _****updated less than an hour ago. As I said there, I have a new system in place that hopefully will prevent this from happening again.**

**...**

Adam watched as Dean whispered something to Sam that made the younger boy throw his head back in laughter, and Adam felt a surge of anger towards the two brothers. Dean's treatment towards him was awful, and while Sam was nice and seemed to enjoy spending time with his half-brother, not once did he stick up for Adam, and he was getting sick of it. He had learned enough about the way this family functioned that it wasn't a good idea to complain or ask questions. The other day Adam had asked about his mom, and John turned beet red and hissed the story about her violent demise. This seemed to be the only time Dean showed any sort of sympathy for his youngest brother, but it had only lasted a few hours before he was making Sam double the amount of food he was making Adam, saying some bullshit like Sam was too small for his age and therefore needed to eat more. John had accept it, however, and Adam went to bed hungry that night.

When Adam had first learned of his father, he'd been ecstatic. It had always been a touchy subject with his mother, and he had finally learned who it was. Not only that, but he had two brothers, and one was only a few years older. But John had been cold towards his youngest son, and Dean had been even more so. The three Winchester boys were always training or being tested or working a case, and it was too much for Adam to handle. He was ten, and he wanted to act like he was ten, not thirty. But so far, that hadn't been an option.

Adam also noticed how mature Sam and Dean were. Aside from Dean's childish treatment of Adam, both acted like adults when the situation called for it. Sam was extremely smart, and it was obvious Dean could be if he tried a little harder. When John and Sam had come back from the hunt, Dean was all business, instructing Adam to get different medical supplies to help patch them up. That was a few weeks ago, and they were still in the same town, but so far none of them had been able to make any progress on what was keeping the ghost tied here. John had even called other hunters, like some man named Bobby that Sam and Dean had been excited to hear from. Bobby and the rest of the hunters seemed stumped, and John was getting angry, which meant that it was dangerous to disobey or to make a mistake in John's presence. While Adam knew that Sam and Dean would protect each other, he was only somewhat sure that Sam would do the same for him, since Dean got angry at Sam every time that happened. Sam and Dean seemed to have a more powerful bond than any other pair that Adam had seen, and he simply couldn't understand why neither seemed to want to allow Adam into that fold.

At the current moment, Sam and Dean were going over some of the more rare supernatural creatures, like kitsunes and djinns. Adam knew he should be brushing up on what Sam had taught him yesterday- cursed objects- but Adam couldn't find the energy to care, at least until John walked in the room and started firing questions about them, half of which he couldn't answer. John struck him across the face and strode over to Sam, presumably to do the same to him. Dean stepped in however, and took the hit for his little brother. Adam's blood boiled. Even at ten, he knew he hated John and Dean Winchester.

**...**

**Please review! I am curious to know what everyone's thoughts are, and at this point I'm still accepting prompts, so if you have one feel free to PM me.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey! I know I'm late, and recent events have made me decide on updating on Fridays instead of Tuesdays. It's a lot easier for me, and I won't have to feel as guilty about not updating for you guys.**

**I also know that some of you don't really like how short my chapters tend to be, but I doubt it's going to change with his story. It's something I'm going to try it out with one of my other stories, but this is my writing style, and I'm not going to change it too much.**

**For the next few weeks or so, I'll be using a prompt from T.L. Arens, who PM'd me last week. It's a super good idea, and also really different. Hope everyone enjoys!**

**...**

John had finally figured out what was tying the ghost down. It was a family necklace, and it only took Dean and John about an hour to break into the house, steal it, and burn it. And in typical John fashion, they were on the road again the next day. Sam and Adam were asleep in the back of the Impala, and Dean was stuck with map duty. They were headed to New Hampshire-there was a group of about ten people that had gone missing in a small forest. John was thinking wendigo, but it was in such a small town that it seemed odd that no one had stumbled upon a hiding spot. Sam and Dean agreed that it probably wasn't a wendigo, and Adam had instantly agreed with John, as was the habit. Sam had been searching an old book when he had fallen asleep, and Dean plucked it off his brother's chest and placed it besides him so Sammy wouldn't drool on it.

After a few more hours of John blasting music, they finally pulled up into a small run down hotel- their usual spots. Dean gently woke Sam up first, getting him out of the car before yelling in Adam's ear that they were there. The boy jumped in his seat, and Sam frowned at his older brother.

"I needed to test his reflexes." he defended. Sam sighed and helped a sore Adam out of the car as John checked them into a hotel room. This one was a lot smaller than the last one they had stayed in, which meant sharing beds. Before it was Sam and Dean in one and John in the other, but since the arrival of Adam, it had alternated depending on the mood of their father, but Adam rarely shared a bed with John. Tonight it was John and Sam, Dean and Adam. It was an arrangement no one was pleased with, and Adam considered sleeping on the floor, but dismissed the thought. John probably wouldn't be too pleased with that.

Sleeping was uncomfortable that night. Dean was pissed at Adam, Adam was afraid of Dean, Sam hated sharing a bed with his father, and John was in an unpleasant mood, per usual. Sam imagined the eldest Winchester was the only one with a good nights sleep, since he'd drank a few beers before settling in next to Sam, who was pressed against the very edge of the bed. He could see Dean beginning to fall asleep in the bed next to him, but it was almost like he could sense his little brother was unhappy. Dean opened his eyes and gave Sam a small smile before reaching his hand across the space between the beds. Sam gripped it for a few moments before letting go, and the smile remained on Dean's face as they both drifted off into sleep.

The woods were one of the most twisted things Adam had ever seen, and it was almost beat by the fact that even Sam seemed relatively unfazed by the way they seemed to stretch towards them, the branches shaped like fingers. John seemed to think they were on the lookout for a wendigo (and why he wanted Adam to come along-or even Sam, who was better suited at research- was puzzling to Adam), but he was starting to think Sam and Dean were right and that this was something different. It almost seemed like the trees were going to pluck them one by one, but he didn't say anything. Sam gave him a reassuring smile, giving his hand a quick squeeze. Dean frowned but stayed silent, but only because they were on a hunt, and it was suicidal to speak, especially if you weren't sure what could be watching you.

It was official.

_I'm never going to be a hunter. _Adam thought as he took a step back from Sam, who gave him a concerned look.

But then Adam took off running.

**...**

**I'm still accepting prompts, so if you want to PM me, I'll work on it right after I finish up this one.**


	6. Chapter 6

Adam didn't get very far before he was tackled to the ground by Sam.

Sam was stronger than he looked, and Adam huffed as Sam spun them around so the older Winchester took the brunt of the fall. Dean and John reached the pair as Adam was lifting himself off of Sam, and Dean grabbed him by the back of his shirt and yanked him to his feet. John frowned at his three children as Sam finished picking himself up.

"We're going back to the car." John announced, herding the boys into the Impala before turning to glare at all of them. "What the fuck was that?"

No one answered.

"You decide it's a wonderful idea to run off while we're scoping out a hunt," he said, pointing at Adam, who shrank back into his seat. "You ran after him," he turned on Sam, "And you weren't watching your brothers like you're supposed to." He said finally to Dean.

"I'm sorry, sir." Sam said it first, and Dean and Adam soon followed. John nodded, satisfied, but decided to teach his two youngest a lesson.

They were now on research duty. Sam was better at it than both John and Dean combined anyways, and John was beginning to think that Sam and Dean were right when they voiced their concerns about this monster not being a wendigo. The whole forest just seemed...off, and as scary as wendigos are, they didn't that have that same effect. So he dropped Sam and Adam off at the library before returning to the woods with Dean, who lossed beyond pissed.

* * *

Sam sighed as he opened another worn and smelly book, frowning over Adam's head as he thought of what they had and hadn't seen in the woods. Since Sam and Adam weren't there for very long, it was hard to sift through the options and narrow them down, and Adam was terrible when it came to research. Before Adam came along, Sam had thought of himself as the outsider of the family, but now he knew that in all honesty, he wasn't as drastically different as he had one thought. For his age, he was a pretty decent, bordering on good, hunter, and his research skills were better than any of the other hunters the Winchesters had encountered. Well, except Bobby, of course. If John didn't test the older hunter every time they visited, Sam would almost suspect that he wasn't fully human.

But Adam...failed at every hunter aspect he had been tested in so far. He often forgot or stumbled when it came to lore, which was arguably the most important part of hunting, because it told you everything you needed to know about a monster, including how to gank it. Adam tended to complain about the research when John or Dean weren't around. It was obvious to Sam that the kid was smart, but he struggled with some of the Latin he was learning and missed the little things that went a long way during a hunt. As for the actual hunting, Adam had yet to work one, but if the previous events were any indication, then he would be a liability.

Sam was worried about how John would react to his youngest son being worse than his second. Avenging Mary was always the first thing on John's mind, and there was always the possibility that John might dump Adam on somebody else if he didn't improve. When it came to Sam and Dean, they were both Mary's children and had been with John their whole lives. That wasn't the case with Adam, and might be the thing that screws him over in the long run. So Sam cracked his knuckles and worked hard enough for the both of them.

An hour later, Sam had a list of about ten creatures that could possibly be in the woods, but none of them seemed to fit exactly right. Still, it was getting dark and the librarian was beginning to close up, so Sam and Adam gathered their things and slipped into the cool night and back to the hotel room, where Dean and John were already holed up. Sam handed his father the list, stressing that none of these were certain, and John nodded and told Sam he did a good job. He then turned to Adam, who simply had a paper with the words 'wendigo' and 'ghost' written on them, which earned him a slight cuff to the back of the head.

Adam inwardly seethed when Sam and Dean continued to refuse to come to his aide, and vowed to never become a Winchester.


	7. Chapter 7

**chapter seven**

**New chapter! Wooo! So I'm probably going to have one or two chapters based off of the prompt ****T.L. Arens** **gave me left, and since I have the general feel for the story as well as the ending, I'm open to prompts. I'm also considering reworking episodes and actual hunts into this fic, so it'd be really awesome if you guys let me know which you'd prefer. **

**Also, as a side note: If you follow/read my story **_**Misery Loves My Company**_**, on one of the updates (chapter 10, I think?) I said that my computer was being weird and multiplying letters and not marking them wrong, and that seems to be happening again, so please bear with me. If you see a mistake, please let me know. I think I caught them all, but I could have missed a few.**

* * *

This case was frustrating the hell out of Sam, and it was taking a surprising amount of willpower not to throw the lore books across the room and take the punishment. Nothing he had found was fitting the way they usually did, and he could tell John was getting annoyed when he assigned all three of his sons to research, even Dean, who always excelled more at the physical aspect of hunting versus the mental and pre-ganking part. Sam also knew that it was a terrible idea to have Dean and Adam in the same room, but Sam could see no other options, since the part of the library they needed was closed off from the rest of it, and it would be a nuisance to send one of his brothers somewhere else. None of them were sure what John was doing, but Sam had a sneaking suspicion it involved a bottle of alcohol and a pretty woman.

Sam also had a feeling that this was another reason Dean seemed to despise Adam. The whole reason the Winchester's were hunting, the whole reason Dean and Sam had raised themselves and each other in crappy motel rooms was because John loved Mary more than anything else. And while that was never quite enough for Sam, who didn't remember their mother, it was enough for Dean. Knowing that John slept around and even produced at least one other child that was not with Mary might have shattered something within Dean, and Sam made a mental note to talk to his stubborn brother about it later.

After they finished this stupid case.

This stupid case that had no monster attached to it that they could find was was definitely not a human case. He could see Dean getting frustrated as well, but Adam's face remained expressionless. As a last resort, Sam picked up one of the stranger lore books, when something popped out at him.

"Hey, Dean?" he asked, smirking when his brother's head bobbed up.

"Yeah?"

"Ever heard of man-eating trees?"

* * *

Oddly enough, it turned out to be man-eating trees.

John had apparently not been sleeping around and had been doing his own research. He'd investigated the forest more, and discovered who owned it. A senator.

Who went missing for months at a time.

Because that wasn't weird and shady.

John was confident that Sam had discovered what they were hunting, so now the four Winchesters were huddled over books on mythology, trying to figure out what could stop these trees. Cutting them down would draw way too much attention and wasn't guaranteed to work, so John was hesitant to try that idea. But finding out how to kill man-eating trees was a lot harder than finding out what the monster of the week was.

Or in this case, monster of half a month.

They needed more details before searching out these trees with the intent to harm. How to tell these apart from normal trees, if they were always in the form of a tree, where they got/kept their prey, and how to defeat them.

It took another day before Sam stumbled onto something.

"What's light blood?"

* * *

**Please leave your thoughts!**


	8. Chapter 8

**I don't really know why this chapter is so sassy. My personality seems to have bled into the Winchesters. Whoops?**

**Also, this wraps up this hunt/prompt. I have another one to work on, but still feel free to send one in, since I'm always looking for them. I will write the prompts in the order that they are sent into me.**

Light blood, Sam soon discovered, was found in glow sticks, of all things.

Adam had somehow gotten ahold of one, although he refused to say how. It had snapped in half when he had fallen over a tree root, and the 'light blood' had coated a small section of the tree he had tripped over in the first place.

It then proceeded to yank him from the ground and up into the air with it's branches, which wasn't a very pleasant experience for any of the Winchesters and eventually ended with John bashing at the branch with a large rock.

So yeah. Glow sticks it was then.

The creeptastic senator (which was what Dean preferred to call him, thank you very much) was still away on his vacation, but John seemed to think it wouldn't matter. These man-eating trees seemed to be something the senator stumbled upon rather than creating, so John figured if they got rid of the trees then the senator would be nothing more than an asshole, instead of an asshole with a forest of trees that liked the taste of human flesh. So much improved.

The teenage girl working the register a few hours later seemed pretty weirded out by the fact that John had purchased _literally every single glow stick_, and the fact that Dean kept flirting with her. Sam gave her an apologetic smile, and Adam just shrugged at her. Needless to say, Dean didn't end up getting her number.

Once they got back to their hotel room, John proceeded to empty the glow sticks into squirt guns, handing one to Sam, Dean, and after a moment of hesitation, one to Adam.

"You better not screw this one up, boy." John growled, and Adam gave a short nod.

"Um...sir?" Sam asked, eyeing his squirt gun. "How to we fight trees?"

"Just use the damn gun."

_Solid plan there_. Sam thought but knew better than to actually say anything. Still, the three boys were nervous to get into the Impala and get back to the forest. The ride was too short for Sam, and soon they were piling out, guns in hand as they made their way into the thick trees.

Now that Sam thought about it, it was easy to see which trees were the dangerous ones. They were darker than the other ones, and their branches seemed to shift with the wind, intertwining with each other. Once they got into the heart of the man-eating trees, the four Winchesters stood with their backs to each other, aiming their guns at different trees before shooting out the liquid form the glow sticks.

The response was immediate. The trees seemed to scream, their branches flying out in every direction. Adam dropped his gun to place his hands over his ears, and an annoyed Dean picked up the discarded weapon and fired at multiple trees at once. After a few moments, the trees seemed to slump down, and the Winchesters went through, hitting every tree they could find. Sam and Adam, who took his gun back, went in a different direction than the elders, and soon the four of them were back at the Impala, tiny scrapes freckling their bodies but otherwise unhurt.

Dean sighed. "Well, that was a bitch."


	9. Chapter 9

**Better late than never, right? Maybe? I was really focused on my other Friday update story since I missed that one last week (Misery Loves My Company) and will be updating the Saturday one sometime later, probably (You Are What You Are). Some good news, guys: I'm ending Exodus' hiatus tomorrow! I don't know if any of you guys read that one (these are two really different fics) but...yeah.**

**Anyways, I'm using a prompt that was sent in by MusicForMySoul, since they requested a sick Adam. **

**Hope everyone enjoys!**

About a few weeks after the tree hunt was finished up, Adam fell sick. Not the kind of sick that could be brushed off or fought without medication, but the kind that caused the person to throw up and lay immobile for at least a few days.

While Dean still wished the kid wasn't traveling with them, he still felt a pang of sympathy as he and Sam helped Adam into a bed before Sam went back to the bathroom to clean up what Adam had failed to get into the toilet.

"You good?" Dean said gruffly as Adam pulled a blanket against himself before taking the medicine Dean had in his palm. Adam threw the pills back as Sam returned. The thinly veiled disgust on his brother's face made Dean smirk, only growing when Sam shot him the famous bitchface.

"Yeah," Adam responded weakly, turning his face into the pillow. Dean and Sam sat on the other bed silently.

When Adam had first shown signs that he was sick, both John and Dean had brushed it off, figuring that it was a mild sickness or maybe a cold and that a day or two would result with Adam back on his feet and as good as ever. Sam had been a bit more hesitant, and after some arguing, managed to convince John to let them get a motel room instead of the back of the Impala. John had taken off to handle another hunt.

But Adam seemed to be getting really sick now, and both Sam and Dean were debating calling John. After sharing a concerned look, they said goodnight to a sleeping Adam and went outside where they wouldn't disturb him.

"We need to do something, Dean." Sam said firmly as they paced around the deserted parking lot.

"I know."

"The medicine dad gave us isn't-"

"I said I know, Sam." Dean said, the annoyance clear in his voice.

"Sorry." Sam mumbled.

Dean sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Look, I'll call dad, but you should keep an eye on Adam." he said, even if the last thing he wanted was his little brother around Adam, especially when the kid was ill. Sam nodded and went into the hotel room as Dean dialed his father's number.

"Dean? What is it?" John answered.

"Hi, dad."

"What is it?" he repeated.

"Adam's in pretty bad shape. He's only gotten worse since you left, and-"

"You and Sam are supposed to be taking care of him." John said, and Dean felt a twinge of fear at the tone of his father's voice as he suddenly became desperate to defend Sammy.

"We are dad, but-"

"Sir."

"Right, sir. I think he needs stronger medication than what we can give him without a doctor's prescription, and Sam and I are getting pretty worried."

"The two of you need to figure it out. People are dying hear Dean, and you want me to drop it because you think Adam has the flu or something?"

"No, sir." Dean whispered as John hung up the phone.

As Dean re-entered the hotel room, Sam ran up to him. "What'd dad say? Adam's temp went up another degree." he blurted.

"Shit." he breathed, looking over at Adam. "Dad's no help. Says we need to take better care of him."

Sam pressed his lips together, and it pissed Dean off that Sam was no longer surprised by this kind of behavior by their father. It wasn't their fault Adam was sick. As much as Dean didn't like the kid, some things simply couldn't be helped, and an illness was one of those things. Plus, if Adam was getting worse again, that opened up a whole new set of problems two minors couldn't even begin to solve. They couldn't get the needed medicine, couldn't bring Adam to a doctor, and John had refused to help, at least until his current case was finished, which made Dean more angry than anything else. Didn't family come first?

Sam looked up at him then, his eyes bright in the way that meant he had a new idea, usually one Dean disapproved of. "Can we call Bobby?"


	10. Chapter 10

**This is late. Whoops?**

**So this chapter will conclude the "sick Adam" thing, and then I have another prompt, but that's it, so if you have them, please send them in!**

**P.S.-I'm doing NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and it's taking a lot out of me, so let me know if I'm making mistakes, yeah? Thanks!**

**Hope you enjoy!**

Even though Dean knew that John was going to be pissed, he and Sam called Bobby. It pretty much went how Dean was expecting it to, and Bobby eventually agreed to meet the boys "because their father is an idjit who doesn't know how to take care of two kids, let alone three of 'em."

Bobby was awesome.

He arrived a few hours after Dean had called him, and Sam immediately went in for a hug, which Bobby returned, wearing a goofy smile on his face. "I gotta admit, it's good to see you boys. Where's Adam?"

Dean pointed to where the small form of Adam was curled up in his bed, and Bobby frowned and made his way over to the boy. Dean heard him introduce himself before placing his hand on Adam's head. After a few moments, he went back over to Dean while Sam took over watching Adam.

"It's nothing too drastic." Bobby began, and Dean slumped in relief. "Would have been a lot easier if your damn daddy came back, but I can pick up some medicine for him and he'll be alright."

"Thanks, Bobby."

The older hunter grinned, ruffling Dean's hair as the boy swatted him away. Bobby laughed the whole time he was walking out the door, waiting until he was at his truck before letting his frustrations out.

He loved those boys, but they were gonna be the death of him.

* * *

Adam responded wonderfully to the medicine that Bobby had gotten him, and within a couple of days was up and walking around. So he sent Sam and Dean on a milk run, because he wanted to talk to the kid.

"How you settling in so far?"

Adam shrugged. "Sam's really great, and Dean runs hot and cold with me-"

"What does that even mean? I'm getting old, aren't I?" he joked, hoping it would make Adam open up to him more. It used to work on Dean and on some occasions it worked with Sam, but Adam was younger than them, and wasn't as mature for his age as Sam and Dean had been. Bobby personally knew that coming from a broken family tended to do that to a person, and he was scared for all three Winchester children's futures.

"He's okay now, but he gets mad when I spend too much time with Sam or mess up. He'll do little things to make me sad, I think?"

Bobby sighed. "It sounds like something he would do. Ignore him. He's protective of Sam. You probably don't get it, hell I don't even get it, but Dean raised Sam. Their bond is a little different from most siblings. But Sam likes you, yeah? He's a good kid."

Adam nodded, a small smile on his face. It dropped quickly, however. "I don't really like John, though."

"Why not?"

"He's mean. He's not nice to any of us and it only makes Dean more mad if I get me or Sam in trouble, even if I don't mean it or-"

"It's okay." Bobby said, cutting off what was beginning to sound like a ten year old's version of a rant.

"He hits us sometimes."

Bobby felt himself go still. _That fucker._ He whipped his head to look at Sam and Dean as they re-entered the room, and they both seemed to sense that something was wrong. Bobby smiled one last time at Adam before asking the older ones if they could talk with him outside. They agreed, and even though they were confused, they followed the other hunter out of the room.

"Your daddy hits you?" Bobby managed to spit out, his anger only rising when he sees the scared look Sam gives Dean. Dean looks pissed.

"Adam told you?"

"Don't you dare be mad at that little boy." Bobby hissed. "He's terrified of John. I get why you haven't been treating him like you should have, but damn it Dean! This is serious, so can you please get your head out of your ass for a few minutes?"

Dean looked surprised, but nodded as Sam pressed further into his side.

"Why did you never say anything?"

"Because dad had a reason for doing it." Sam said, and Bobby felt his heart shatter. "I mess up a lot, so it's okay."

"No it's not, Sammy." Dean said fiercely, a look of horror plastered on his face. "I told you, you don't deserve that. Hell, neither do me and Adam."

"He's right, Sam." Bobby ran a hand across his face. "Why don't you go check up on Adam? I wanna talk to Dean for a second."

Sam nodded, running off to go check on his little brother as Bobby grimmly turned to face Dean.

"I wish I could get you away from this, Dean. All three of you."

"I know." Dean said sadly.

"John wouldn't let me take you, no matter how many times I've asked. And if I go to the police..."

"I could go to jail. For stealing, for all the fake accounts dad and I have set up..."

"And I know you'd do it for Sam, but you know I wouldn't let you. I'll figure this out, Dean."

It was a promise Bobby intended to keep. He'd protect those boys until he was no longer around to do so. Until death.


End file.
